Camping at the fair

ALBANY, Minn. — Lady, Silo, Espresso, Patches and Extra are the names of the dairy cattle the Kalthoff family brought to the 2025 Stearns County Fair.

“The kids name the show animals and any others that they take a liking to,” Ben Kalthoff said. “They all have their favorites.”

Ben and his wife, Kate, along with their six children — Kiley, Avery, Bennett, Brinley, Wyatt and Everly — milk 70 cows near Albany. The family joined the Tel-stars 4-H Club three years ago. The children who are old enough to be in 4-H are all involved with showing dairy cattle from their farm, as well as additional projects.

“I like showing cows and cake decorating,” Kiley said. “I was excited this year because I got (my cow) Extra, tame in two weeks.”

This year, Avery showed dairy cattle. Bennett exhibited a dairy calf, a chicken, vegetables and sunflowers. Brinley, a cloverbud, showed a dairy calf and brought an arts and crafts project.

“My favorite part is being at the fair with our cattle and lying next to them,” Kiley said. “Patches likes me and just follows me around; she has liked me since the day we got her.”

Ben and Kate both grew up on dairy farms and purchased their own operation in 2017. When they did, they purchased Holsteins and one Brown Swiss.

“The kids really liked the Brown Swiss we had; they named her Chocolate,” Kate said. “That sparked an interest in the breed, so we decided to buy two more Brown Swiss calves this year.”

The children started working with their fair animals in May in preparation for the fair in August.

“The kids worked with the cattle throughout the summer,” Kate said. “Two weeks before the fair, they started doing it twice a day.”

The children helped each other prepare, catching animals, leading them around the yard and washing them.

“Sometimes we fall, and I got dragged around a little bit once, but I got back up and tried again,” Avery said. “My calf, Extra, was tame until we dehorned her. Then I had to regain her trust two weeks before the fair.”

During the 5-day county fair, the Kalthoffs found someone to milk their cows each morning so they could all be at the fair.

“We knew we wanted to find someone for chores the morning the kids showed,” Kate said. “Then we decided to ask if he could milk each morning during the fair for us. With the two little kids and the four showing, it was going to be a lot of going back and forth.”

The Kalthoffs brought their camper to the fairgrounds for the week so the children could stay at the fair all day and have a place to relax. Ben and Kate went home each afternoon for evening chores, then returned to the fairgrounds to spend the night with their children. In the morning they got the cattle ready for the day and stayed for the dairy show. Then, once again, they drove home for evening chores.

Typically, the older Kalthoff children help with daily chores. Kiley feeds cows and does calf chores, while Avery helps milk and also does calf chores.

“The kids are great at helping out and stepping in wherever we ask them to,” Kate said.

Growing up, Kate and her siblings were in 4-H and showed dairy cattle. Her mom gave the grandchildren the halters, clippers and show box that she had kept since then.

“Kiley was the one who asked specifically to join 4-H,” Kate said. “Some of their friends were in 4-H and going to the fair as a family. The kids saw the projects the other kids did and they wanted to do that too.”

The Kalthoff children said they are already looking forward to showing again at the county fair.

“Next year, I want to bring a chicken and a calf again,” Bennet said.

Each year they learn something new and gain more ideas for projects — livestock and non-livestock.

“My goal is to make the blue-ribbon auction,” Kiley said.

In Stearns County, the top two dairy animals in each class are asked to come back for the state fair lineup. Once the state fair lineup is finalized, the Top 15 animals are eligible for the county’s blue-ribbon auction.

“Ben and I are proud and excited to see the kids doing this,” Kate said. “I’m not going to make them do it. They have to want to do it on their own, and they do.”